Man killed in New Zealand shark attack

27 February 2013 Last updated at 07:54 ET Help

A shark has attacked and killed a 47-year-old man who was swimming off a beach near the New Zealand city of Auckland.

The attack took place around 13:30 (00:30 GMT) on Wednesday at Muriwai Beach, to the west of the country's largest city.

Police said in a statement that they shot at the shark before it disappeared.

Shark attacks are rare in New Zealand, with only 11 fatal attacks since records began in 1847, according to TVNZ.

Lucas De Jong reports.

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